M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Special Vows
27 Yahweh spoke to Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelites: If any of you makes a special vow to give a person to Yahweh, you may give money instead of the person. 3 The amount you must give for a man from 20 to 60 years old is 20 ounces of silver. Use the standard weight of the holy place. 4 If it is a woman, give 12 ounces. 5 For a boy from 5 to 20 years old, give 8 ounces and for a girl give 4 ounces. 6 For a boy from one month to five years old, give 2 ounces of silver and for a girl give about one ounce. 7 For a man 60 years or over, give 6 ounces and for a woman give 4 ounces. 8 But the person who is too poor to pay the required amount must stand in front of the priest. The priest will determine the amount based on what the person can afford.
9 “If the vow is to give the kind of animal that people offer to Yahweh, it will be considered holy. 10 Don’t exchange or substitute animals, a good one for a bad one or a bad one for a good one. If you do exchange one animal for another, then both animals will be holy. 11 If it is an unclean animal that cannot be brought to Yahweh as an offering, bring it in front of the priest. 12 The priest will determine what its value is. The value will be whatever the priest decides. 13 If you want to buy it back, you must pay its full value plus one-fifth more.
14 “If you give your house to Yahweh as something holy, the priest will determine what its value is. The value will be whatever the priest decides. 15 If you want to buy it back, you must pay its full value plus one-fifth more.
16 “If a person gives part of a field to Yahweh as something holy, its value will be based on the seed planted on it. Ground planted with 2 quarts of barley will be worth 20 ounces of silver. 17 If you give your field in the jubilee year, it will have its full value. 18 But if you give the field after the jubilee year, the priest will estimate its value based on the number of years left until the next jubilee year. 19 If you want to buy it back, you must pay its full value plus one-fifth more. 20 But if you don’t buy it back and it is sold to someone else, you cannot buy it back. 21 When the field is released in the jubilee year, it will be holy like a field claimed by Yahweh. It will become the property of the priest. 22 You may give a field you bought (not one that was a part of your family property) to Yahweh as something holy. 23 The priest must figure out the field’s value until the jubilee year. You will pay its value on that day as something holy, belonging to Yahweh. 24 In the jubilee year the field will go back to the person from whom it was bought, to whom it belongs as family property.
25 “All values will be set using the standard weight of the holy place.[a]
26 “A firstborn animal already belongs to Yahweh because it was born first. Therefore, it cannot be set apart as holy. Whether it is a bull or a sheep, it belongs to Yahweh. 27 But if it is an unclean animal, it must be bought back. The payment will be its full value plus one-fifth more. If it is not bought back, it must be sold at the value given it.
28 “However, everything dedicated to Yahweh for destruction—a person, an animal, or a field that belongs to you—must not be sold or bought back. Everything dedicated in that way is very holy. It belongs to Yahweh. 29 People dedicated this way cannot be bought back. They must be put to death.
30 “One-tenth of what comes from the land, whether grain or fruit, is holy and belongs to Yahweh. 31 If you buy back any part of it, you must add one-fifth more to it. 32 Every tenth head of cattle or sheep that you counted is holy and belongs to Yahweh. 33 You must not look to see if it is good or bad or exchange it. But if you do exchange it, both the first animal and its substitute will be holy. They cannot be bought back.”
34 These are the commands Yahweh gave Moses on Mount Sinai for the Israelites.
Psalm 34[a]
By David when he pretended to be insane in the presence of Abimelech; Abimelech threw him out, so David left.
1 I will thank Yahweh at all times.
My mouth will always praise him.
2 My soul will boast about Yahweh.
Those who are oppressed will hear it and rejoice.
3 Praise Yahweh’s greatness with me.
Let us highly honor his name together.
4 I went to Yahweh for help.
He answered me and rescued me from all my fears.
5 All who look to him will be radiant.[b]
Their faces will never be covered with shame.
6 Here is a poor man who called out.
Yahweh heard him and saved him from all his troubles.
7 The Messenger of Yahweh camps around those who fear him,
and he rescues them.
8 Taste and see that Yahweh is good.
Blessed is the person who takes refuge in him.
9 Fear Yahweh, you holy people who belong to him.
Those who fear him are never in need.
10 Young lions go hungry and may starve,
but those who seek Yahweh’s help have all the good things they need.
11 Come, children, listen to me.
I will teach you the fear of Yahweh.
12 Which of you wants a full life?
Who would like to live long enough to enjoy good things?
13 Keep your tongue from saying evil things
and your lips from speaking deceitful things.
14 Turn away from evil, and do good.
Seek peace, and pursue it!
15 Yahweh’s eyes are on righteous people.
His ears hear their cry for help.
16 Yahweh confronts those who do evil
in order to wipe out all memory of them from the earth.
17 Righteous people cry out.
Yahweh hears and rescues them from all their troubles.
18 Yahweh is near to those whose hearts are humble.
He saves those whose spirits are crushed.
19 The righteous person has many troubles,
but Yahweh rescues him from all of them.
20 Yahweh guards all of his bones.
Not one of them is broken.
21 Evil will kill wicked people,
and those who hate righteous people will be condemned.
22 Yahweh protects the souls of his servants.
All who take refuge in him will never be condemned.
10 Dead flies will make a bottle of perfume stink, and then it is spoiled. A little foolishness outweighs wisdom and honor.
Proverbs about Life in General
2 A wise person’s heart leads the right way. The heart of a fool leads the wrong way. 3 Even when a fool goes walking, he has no sense and shows everyone else that he’s a fool.
4 If a ruler becomes angry with you, don’t resign your position. If you remain calm, you can make up for serious offenses.
5 There is a tragedy that I’ve seen under the sun, an error often made by rulers. 6 Foolish people are often given high positions, and rich people are left to fill lower positions. 7 I have seen slaves sitting on horses and influential people going on foot like slaves.
8 Whoever digs a pit may fall into it. Whoever breaks through a stone wall may be bitten by a snake. 9 Whoever works in a stone quarry may get hurt. Whoever splits wood may be injured.
10 If an ax is blunt and the edge isn’t sharpened, then one has to use more strength. But wisdom prepares the way for success. 11 If a snake bites before it has been charmed, then there is no advantage in being a snake charmer.
12 A wise person’s words win favors, but a fool’s lips are self-destructive. 13 A fool starts out by talking foolishness and ends up saying crazy things that are dangerous. 14 He never stops talking. No one knows what the future will bring, or what will happen after death. Who can say! 15 Fools wear themselves out with hard work, because they don’t even know the way to town.
16 How horrible it will be for any country where the king used to be a servant and where the high officials throw parties in the morning. 17 A country is blessed when the king is from a noble family and when the high officials eat at the right time in order to get strength and not to get drunk.
18 A roof sags because of laziness. A house leaks because of idle hands.
19 A meal is made for laughter, and wine makes life pleasant, but money is the answer for everything.
20 Don’t curse the king even in your thoughts, and don’t curse rich people even in your bedroom. A bird may carry your words, or some winged creature may repeat what you say.
Guidelines for Christian Living
2 Tell believers to live the kind of life that goes along with accurate teachings. 2 Tell older men to be sober. Tell them to be men of good character, to use good judgment, and to be well-grounded in faith, love, and endurance.
3 Tell older women to live their lives in a way that shows they are dedicated to God. Tell them not to be gossips or addicted to alcohol, but to be examples of virtue. 4 In this way they will teach young women to show love to their husbands and children, 5 to use good judgment, and to be morally pure. Also, tell them to teach young women to be homemakers, to be kind, and to place themselves under their husbands’ authority. Then no one can speak evil of God’s word.
6 Encourage young men to use good judgment. 7 Always set an example by doing good things. When you teach, be an example of moral purity and dignity. 8 Speak an accurate message that cannot be condemned. Then those who oppose us will be ashamed because they cannot say anything bad about us.
9 Tell slaves who are believers to place themselves under their masters’ authority in everything they do. Tell them to please their masters, not to argue with them 10 or steal from them. Instead, tell slaves to show their masters how good and completely loyal they can be. Then they will show the beauty of the teachings about God our Savior in everything they do.
11 After all, God’s saving kindness[a] has appeared for the benefit of all people. 12 It trains us to avoid ungodly lives filled with worldly desires so that we can live self-controlled, moral, and godly lives in this present world. 13 At the same time we can expect what we hope for—the appearance of the glory of our great God and Savior, Yeshua Christ. 14 He gave himself for us to set us free from every sin and to cleanse us so that we can be his special people who are enthusiastic about doing good things.
15 Tell these things to the believers. Encourage and correct them, using your full authority. Don’t let anyone ignore you.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.